Considering the New Tekton Design Encores? AND Owners Group - Experiences/Questions

Thanks!  I did join the group a few weeks ago.  Useful--someone just posted answering a question in my mind that I had not asked (whether the Schiit Aegirs in monoblock mode would have any problems with the Encores--his experience so far was that they work with no problems--still trying to decide whether to go with Aegir or buy up to XA25--I know where you come out on that question :) ). 

I agree with you on the midrange--I think that's why I like the SEAS Pendragon's so much--very nice integrated midrange and bass, I lose some of the detail in the highs relative to my prior speakers, but since I can't fully hear the highs anyway, not surprising that the SEAS Pendragons come on top for me.  I find speakers and headphones that have a highly detailed top end (e.g, my Monitor Audios and Focal Utopia headphones) to be thin and fatiguing now--probably related to my hearing loss.

I thought the poster also stated that a new change on all Encores going forward is that they won't be ported anymore.  That's interesting--I wonder how that changes the sounds--tighter bass perhaps?

@jsoku I’m not sure if it’s sonically advantageous to front port the midbass drivers or not. I guess there’s pros and cons to both approaches and Eric determined it’s better sonically without the front ports now. Maybe he’s altered the crossover too.

@jcarcopo I saw your Allnic listed. What’s your primary amp for the Encores, once the Allnic sells? I'm assuming the Pass XA25. Differences between the two? Thanks.

@david_ten Of course being solid-state, there's a foundational weight and heft to the Pass Lab's XA25 in the bass region due to its 500 damping factor that accompanies its very beautiful midrange. It also only consumes 240w and emits much less heat into my new dedicated/treated sound room upstairs. The additional heat from 8x 300bxls in the Allnics forced me to put a thermostat sensor in the 20'x14'x8' room which forced the hvac to kick on constantly and made it too cold in my home. Also the AC makes a lot more vent noise upstairs as the system is in my attic which annoyed me because it obscures fine detail. Finally, the price of EML 300BXLS have increased significantly from $750 to $935 a pair with no end in sight. The practicality of retubing the amps with 4 pairs of them moving forward will be way too painful financially for me for how often I listen. I constantly had anxiety about wasting the tubes useful life when the phone rings or I'd get sidetracked and I'd forget to turn them off for hours.  I didn't sell them for sonic reasons, it was mostly just for reasons of practicality and that I actually find the XA25 to be very SET-like in sound signature. I agree with Terry London's review of them, it's pretty spot on. I was going to use the XA25 as a background music amp to spare my tubes wear and tear, I didn't expect the XA25 to replace them. 

@jcarcopo  Thanks so much. Your reasoning and choice are so very clear now. Super helpful for my understanding. As an aside, I did not realize that the XA 25 had the 'highish' damping factor that it does.